''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (often abbreviated to ''Law & Order: SVU'' or just ''SVU'') is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...
drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...
television series created by
Dick Wolf
Richard Anthony Wolf (born December 20, 1946) is an American film and television producer, best known for his Law & Order (franchise), ''Law & Order'' franchise. Since 1990, the franchise has included six police/courtroom dramas and four internat ...
's own production company,
Wolf Entertainment
Wolf Entertainment is an American television production company founded in 1988 by producer Dick Wolf, known for its television franchises ''Law & Order'', '' Chicago'', and '' FBI''.
In February 2020, Wolf Entertainment signed one of the la ...
, for
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
. The first spin-off of ''
Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...
'', it starred
Christopher Meloni
Christopher Peter Meloni (; born April 2, 1961) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC legal drama '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' for its first 12 seasons and its spin-off ' ...
as Detective
Elliot Stabler
Elliot Stabler Sr. (); is a fictional character, played by Christopher Meloni and one of the lead characters on the NBC police procedural series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' and '' Law & Order: Organized Crime''.
Stabler was a lead for ...
until Meloni left the series in 2011 after 12 seasons, and
Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Magdolna Hargitay (; born January 23, 1964) is an American actress, director and philanthropist. The daughter of bodybuilder and actor Mickey Hargitay and actress Jayne Mansfield, her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, a People's ...
as Detective (ultimately promoted to
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
)
Olivia Benson
Olivia Margaret "Liv" Benson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the NBC police procedural drama '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', portrayed by Mariska Hargitay. Benson holds the rank and pay-grade of Captain and is the Com ...
, now the commanding officer of the
Special Victims Unit
A Special Victims Unit (SVU) is a specialized division within some police departments. The detectives in this division typically investigate crimes involving sexual assault or victims of non-sexual crimes who require specialist handling such a ...
after originally having been Stabler's partner in a fictionalized version of the
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...
. Meloni reprised his role as Stabler in 2021 in the spin-off series ''
Law & Order: Organized Crime''.
''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' follows the style of the original ''Law & Order'' in that some episodes are loosely based on real crimes that have received media attention.
The show premiered on September 20, 1999. After the premiere of its 21st season in September 2019, the series became TV’s
longest-running primetime U.S. live-action series in the history of television.
Since the end of the original run of the main ''
Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...
'' series in 2010, ''SVU'' has been the only live-action primetime series that debuted in the 1990s that has remained in continuous production. As of October 21, 2021, ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' has aired 500 original episodes, surpassing the
episode count of the original ''Law & Order'' series. In terms of all-time episode count for a primetime scripted series, ''SVU'' now ranks fourth behind ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'' (with 728 episodes), ''
Gunsmoke
''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...
'' (with 635 episodes), and ''
Lassie
Lassie is a fictional female Rough Collie dog and is featured in a short story by Eric Knight that was later expanded to a full-length novel called ''Lassie Come-Home''. Knight's portrayal of Lassie bears some features in common with another fic ...
'' (with 591 episodes). In February 2020, the series was renewed through its 24th season.' The
23rd season premiered on September 23, 2021, during which the show aired its milestone 500th episode. The
24th season premiered on September 22, 2022.
The series has received
91 award nominations, winning 33 awards.
Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Magdolna Hargitay (; born January 23, 1964) is an American actress, director and philanthropist. The daughter of bodybuilder and actor Mickey Hargitay and actress Jayne Mansfield, her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, a People's ...
was the first regular cast member on any ''Law & Order'' series to win an
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
when she won the
in 2006.
Premise
Based out of the NYPD
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...
's 16th precinct in Manhattan, ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' delves into the dark side of the New York underworld as the detectives of a new elite force, the
Special Victims Unit
A Special Victims Unit (SVU) is a specialized division within some police departments. The detectives in this division typically investigate crimes involving sexual assault or victims of non-sexual crimes who require specialist handling such a ...
(SVU for short), investigate and prosecute various sexually oriented crimes, including rape, child sexual abuse and domestic violence. They also investigate the abuses of children, the disabled and elderly victims of non-sexual crimes who require specialist handling, all while trying to balance the effects of the investigation on their own lives as they try not to let the dark side of these crimes affect them. Its stories also touch on the political and societal issues associated with gender identity, sexual preferences, and equality rights. While the victim is often murdered, this is not always the case, and victims frequently play prominent roles in episodes. The unit also works with the Manhattan District Attorney's office as they prosecute cases and seek justice for SVU's victims and survivors with precision and a passion to win and bring closure to the intense investigations. The series often uses stories that are "ripped from the headlines" or based on real crimes. Such episodes take a real crime and fictionalize it by changing some details.
Originally, the show focused around the detective pairing of
Elliot Stabler
Elliot Stabler Sr. (); is a fictional character, played by Christopher Meloni and one of the lead characters on the NBC police procedural series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' and '' Law & Order: Organized Crime''.
Stabler was a lead for ...
and
Olivia Benson
Olivia Margaret "Liv" Benson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the NBC police procedural drama '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', portrayed by Mariska Hargitay. Benson holds the rank and pay-grade of Captain and is the Com ...
. Stabler is a seasoned veteran of the unit who has seen it all and tries his best to protect his family from the horrors he has seen in his career. Meanwhile, Benson's difficult past as the child of a rape victim is the reason she joined the unit. Backing them up are Detective
John Munch
John Munch is a fictional character played by actor Richard Belzer. Munch first appeared on the American crime drama television series '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' on NBC. A regular through the entire run of the series from 1993 to 1999, Mu ...
and his first partner,
Brian Cassidy
Detective Brian Cassidy is a fictional character played by Dean Winters in the American police procedural, crime drama television series ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' on NBC. A recurring cast member during the first season, Cassidy is a ...
. Munch is a transfer from Baltimore's homicide unit, who brings his acerbic wit, conspiracy theories, and street-honed investigative skills; Cassidy is young and eager to learn from his fellow detectives. These two detective teams received support from Detectives
Monique Jeffries
Detective Monique Jeffries is a fictional character played by Michelle Hurd in the American crime drama television series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' on NBC. A regular character during the first season, Jeffries is a tough and street-w ...
and Ken Briscoe.
After thirteen episodes, Cassidy gets transferred to the narcotics division because of his inability to work well on the cases and the fact that they reminded him too much of his childhood abuse. As a result, Jeffries gets partnered up with Munch for the remainder of season one and Briscoe was phased out. In the beginning of season two, Jeffries leaves the unit following an incident with the Morris Commission and Munch get permanently partnered up with Detective
Odafin "Fin" Tutuola, whose unique yet sometimes vulgar sense of humor and investigative experience make him a formidable match for Munch.
Brooklyn SVU Detective
Chester Lake would assist on several Manhattan cases during the eighth season and then join during season nine; Lake would then depart at the season's end after being arrested for murdering a crooked cop who had gotten away with rape. These detectives were supervised by veteran Captain
Donald Cragen
Donald 'Don' Cragen is a fictional character played by Dann Florek in the American police procedural television series '' Law & Order'' and its spinoff, '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', on NBC. Cragen is a homicide captain with the New Y ...
, who oversaw the team for seasons 1–15 and was previously the commanding officer of the homicide precinct in New York. Cragen's tough-but-supportive approach to the team's complex cases guides the squad through the challenges they face every day.
Also assisting the Special Victims Unit, is FBI Special Agent Dr. George Huang who helps keep the officers sane in a field that could drive ordinary people mad, whilst also serving as the squad's resident criminal profiler, his insights into the criminal mind have often helped the officers to crack the toughest perps. The team also works with
Medical Examiner
The medical examiner is an appointed official in some American jurisdictions who is trained in pathology that investigates deaths that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdictio ...
Dr. Melinda Warner, who has become an integral part of the unit, and her personal skills have contributed to the unit's high success rate in closing cases.
The unit did not receive a full-time assistant district attorney until season two, when
Alexandra Cabot
Alexandra "Alex" Cabot is a fictional character within the ''Law & Order'' universe portrayed by Stephanie March. She is a primary character in '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' and '' Conviction''.
Character overview
Cabot first appears i ...
was assigned to work with the detectives.
After Cabot enters the Witness Protection Program after almost being killed in a hit in season five, she was replaced by
Casey Novak
Casey Novak is a fictional character on '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', portrayed by Diane Neal. She is the only female Assistant District Attorney (ADA) to have appeared in five complete seasons in any ''Law & Order'' series and the thir ...
, who remained as the ADA until the end of season nine, when she was censured for violating due process while trying to bring a rapist cop to justice.
Kim Greylek
Kim Greylek is a fictional character on the NBC crime drama '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', portrayed by Michaela McManus.
Character overview
Kim Greylek transfers to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in a lateral move from the U. ...
became the permanent ADA in the season ten premiere, until Cabot made a return midway through that season when Greylek returned to the Justice Department in Washington, D.C. Cabot remained the ADA through the second half of season 11. After Cabot's departure, the ADA void was filled by Sonya Paxton (
Christine Lahti
Christine Ann Lahti (born April 4, 1950) is an American actress and filmmaker. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1984 film '' Swing Shift''. Her other film roles include '' ...And Justice for All'' (19 ...
) and Jo Marlowe (
Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress. Known for primarily playing femme fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the recipient of various ...
) until the conclusion of season 11. Gillian Hardwicke (
Melissa Sagemiller
Melissa Sagemiller is an American television and film actress. She is known for her performances in films '' Get Over It'' (2001), '' Soul Survivors'' (2001), ''Sorority Boys'' (2002), '' The Clearing'' (2004), ''The Guardian'' (2006) and ''Mr. ...
) served as the SVU's ADA during season 12, while Novak would return for a guest appearance after completing her suspension near the end of the season. Paxton would also return for one more appearance in the season, during which she is brutally murdered by a rapist/murderer, but manages to leave behind vital evidence to assure his conviction. In season 13, both Cabot and Novak returned as ADAs. From the beginning of season 14, ADA
Rafael Barba
Rafael Barba is a fictional character portrayed by Raúl Esparza, who joined the cast of the long-running NBC crime drama series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' on a recurring basis during the 14th season episode " Twenty-Five Acts". The ...
was SVU's prosecutor, until leaving halfway through season 19 following the death of an infant. ''
Chicago Justice
''Chicago Justice'' is an American legal drama television series that aired on NBC from March 1 to May 14, 2017. The series was created by Dick Wolf and is the fourth installment of Wolf's ''Chicago'' franchise. A backdoor pilot aired on May 11, ...
''s
Peter Stone Peter Stone may refer to:
*Pete Stone, Australian footballer in the 1956 Summer Olympics
* Peter G. Stone (born 1957), British archaeologist
*Peter Stone (cricketer) (born 1938), New Zealand cricketer
*Peter Stone (professor) (born 1971), professo ...
became SVU's ADA after ''Chicago Justice'' was canceled after only one season. At the end of season 20, Stone decided to leave due to some of the cases being too much for him to handle. From there, former SVU Detective
Dominick Carisi Jr. takes his place at the start of season 21.
In season 13, other big changes happened with Stabler having retired in the aftermath of the season 12 finale, until he reappeared in season 22, which led him to join NYPD's Organized Crime Control Bureau. Huang also departed at the same time after being reassigned to Oklahoma City, but has returned for occasional guest appearances. Detectives
Nick Amaro
Nicolas Amaro is a fictional character on the NBC police procedural drama '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', portrayed by Danny Pino. Amaro is a detective with the Manhattan SVU at the 16th Precinct of the New York City Police Department.
B ...
and
Amanda Rollins
Amanda Rollins Carisi is a fictional character on the NBC police procedural drama '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', portrayed by Kelli Giddish. Rollins was a detective with the Manhattan Special Victims Unit at the 16th Precinct of the New ...
joined the team filling the void left by Stabler. Amaro brought empathy to his cases while dealing with a stressful home life, while Rollins had dogged persistence and instincts help her close cases, but also secrets from her past that could derail her career. During season 15, both Munch and Cragen retired from the NYPD, leaving Benson, after being promoted to Sergeant, to take control of the unit; she would later be promoted to Lieutenant at the start of season 17 and then Captain at the start of season 21. Season 16 was another period of change with the introduction of Carisi at the beginning and the departure of Amaro at the end. Also introduced in season 16 was Deputy Chief William Dodds, who served as commanding officer for the Special Victims Units in all five boroughs of New York. Dodds' son Mike transfers into Special Victims as Sergeant in season 17, becoming Benson's second-in-command until his death at the end of the season; Fin later passes the Sergeant's exam during season 18 and is officially promoted in Mike's place in season 19. Following Carisi's move to the DA's office in season 21, Vice Officer Katriona "Kat" Tamin joined the team after assisting on several cases, eventually getting promoted to detective. Dodds also departed the series at the start of the season due to some issues in the case regarding a mogul raping countless women, allowing new deputy chief Christian Garland to take his place. At the start of season 23, Tamin and Garland both resigned from the NYPD after becoming disillusioned with the legal system's failures and the systematic bias within the department, with Tamin being replaced by Detective Joe Velasco. Chief Tommy McGrath took over Garland's position until he could find a permanent deputy chief for SVU. At the beginning of season 24, Detective Grace Muncy joins SVU after solving a case that involves a teenage Dominican gang. And halfway through the season, Rollins resigns from SVU because she accepted an offer from Carisi's old colleague to teach at
Fordham University
Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...
.
Cast and characters
Production
Development
![DickWolfJan10](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/DickWolfJan10.jpg)
The idea for ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' originated with the 1986 "preppie murder" case of
Robert Chambers, who strangled and killed a woman he dated, Jennifer Levin, during
what he claimed was consensual "rough sex" in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
's
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
. The crime inspired
Dick Wolf
Richard Anthony Wolf (born December 20, 1946) is an American film and television producer, best known for his Law & Order (franchise), ''Law & Order'' franchise. Since 1990, the franchise has included six police/courtroom dramas and four internat ...
to write the story for the
season one Season One may refer to:
Albums
* ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004
* ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012
* ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012
See also
*
*
* Season 2 (disambiguation)
* Season 4 (disambiguat ...
episode of ''
Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...
'' titled "
Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die
''Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die'' (Italian: ''Se tutte le donne del mondo... (Operazione Paradiso)'') is a James Bond spoof film released in 1966 as an Italian-American co-production between Dino De Laurentiis' Cinematografica and Columbia Pic ...
". After writing the episode, Wolf wanted to go deeper into the psychology of crimes to examine the role of
human sexuality
Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...
.
[Green and Dawn (2009), p. 2]
The original title of the show was ''Sex Crimes.'' Initially, there was concern among the producers that, should ''Sex Crimes'' fail, identifying the new show with the ''Law & Order'' franchise could affect the original show. Additionally,
Ted Kotcheff
William Theodore Kotcheff (born April 7, 1931) is a Bulgarian-Canadian film and television director, writer and producer, known primarily for his work on British and American television productions such as ''Armchair Theatre'' and '' Law & Order ...
wanted to create a new series that was not dependent upon the original series for success. Wolf felt, however, that it was important and commercially desirable to have "Law & Order" in the title, and he initially proposed the title of the show be ''Law & Order: Sex Crimes''.
Barry Diller
Barry Charles Diller (born February 2, 1942) is an American businessman. He is Chairman and Senior Executive of IAC and Expedia Group and founded the Fox Broadcasting Company and USA Broadcasting. Diller was inducted into the Television Hall of ...
, then head of
Studios USA
Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a subsidiary of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming#Universal Studio Group, Universal Studio Group, a division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It serv ...
, was concerned about the title, however, and it was changed to ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' to reflect the actual unit of the
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...
(NYPD) that handles sexually-based offenses.
[Green and Dawn (2009), pp. 10–11]
Executive producer
Neal Baer
Neal Baer (born 1955) is an American pediatrician and television writer and producer. He is best known for his work on the television shows ''Designated Survivor'', '' ER'' and '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''.
Biography
Education
Baer w ...
left ''Law & Order: SVU'' as
showrunner
A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...
at the end of
season twelve, after eleven years (seasons 2–12) on the show, in order to sign a three-year deal with
CBS Studios
CBS Studios, Inc. is an American television production company which is a subsidiary of CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. It was formed on January 17, 2006, by CBS Corporation as CBS Paramount Television, as a renaming of the o ...
. Baer was replaced by former ''
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' is an American police procedural Drama (film and television), drama television series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and Executive producer#Motion pictures and television, p ...
'' showrunner
Warren Leight
Warren Donald Leight (; born January 17, 1957) is an American playwright, screenwriter, film director and television producer. He is best known for his work on ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' and '' Lights Out'' and as the showrunner for ''In ...
. In March 2015, it was announced that Warren Leight signed a three-year deal with
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production and distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, it is a division of Sony Entertainment's unit Sony Pictures Entertainm ...
, that will allow him to work on ''SVU'' one more season, its seventeenth. It was announced on March 10, 2016, that original ''Law & Order'' veteran producer Rick Eid would take Leight's place as showrunner starting in season 18. Creator Dick Wolf commented to ''The Hollywood Reporter'', "I'm extremely pleased that Rick had decided to rejoin the family and hope that he will be here for years to come." During post-production of season 18, following the announcement that ''SVU'' was renewed for a nineteenth season, it was revealed that Rick Eid departed the series. He will be taking over another Dick Wolf/NBC series, ''Chicago P.D.''
It was announced on May 25, 2017, that original ''Law & Order'' and ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' showrunner
Michael S. Chernuchin
Michael S. Chernuchin (born 1954) is an American Screenwriter, television writer and television producer, producer. He has worked on the NBC crime dramas ''Law & Order'' and ''Brooklyn South''. He has won a Producers Guild of America Award, Produ ...
would be reprising his role starting on season nineteen. Chernuchin was also co-creator and executive producing showrunner of ''
Chicago Justice
''Chicago Justice'' is an American legal drama television series that aired on NBC from March 1 to May 14, 2017. The series was created by Dick Wolf and is the fourth installment of Wolf's ''Chicago'' franchise. A backdoor pilot aired on May 11, ...
'', another Wolf-related show that was canceled by NBC at the end of the 2016–17 TV season.
On April 22, 2019, it was announced that Leight would return as showrunner for the series' twenty-first season. On May 3, 2022, Leight announced that he would not be returning for the twenty-fourth season.
Casting
![SVU crime scene set 2 season 12](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/SVU_crime_scene_set_2_season_12.jpg)
Casting for the lead characters of ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' occurred in the spring of 1999. Dick Wolf, along with officials from NBC and Studios USA were at the final auditions for the two leads at
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a large complex consisting of 19 commerce, commercial buildings covering between 48th Street (Manhattan), 48th Street and 51st Street (Manhattan), 51st Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The 14 original Art Deco ...
. The last round had been narrowed down to seven finalists. For the female lead, Detective
Olivia Benson
Olivia Margaret "Liv" Benson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the NBC police procedural drama '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', portrayed by Mariska Hargitay. Benson holds the rank and pay-grade of Captain and is the Com ...
, actresses
Samantha Mathis
Samantha Mathis (born May 12, 1970) is an American actress and trade union leader who served as the Vice President, Actors/Performers of SAG-AFTRA from 2015 to 2019. The daughter of actress Bibi Besch, Mathis made her film debut in '' Pump Up t ...
,
Reiko Aylesworth
Reiko M. Aylesworth (born December 9, 1972) is an American film, television and stage actress, best known for her role on the television series '' 24'' as Michelle Dessler.
Early life, career start
Aylesworth was born December 9, 1972, in Evanst ...
, and
Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Magdolna Hargitay (; born January 23, 1964) is an American actress, director and philanthropist. The daughter of bodybuilder and actor Mickey Hargitay and actress Jayne Mansfield, her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, a People's ...
were being considered. For the male role, Detective
Elliot Stabler
Elliot Stabler Sr. (); is a fictional character, played by Christopher Meloni and one of the lead characters on the NBC police procedural series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' and '' Law & Order: Organized Crime''.
Stabler was a lead for ...
, the finalists were
Tim Matheson
Tim Matheson (born Timothy Lewis Matthieson; December 31, 1947) is an American actor and director. Some of his best-known acting roles include the title character of the 1960s animated ''Jonny Quest'' TV series, Eric "Otter" Stratton in the 197 ...
,
John Slattery
John M. Slattery Jr. (born August 13, 1962) is an American actor and director widely known for his role as Roger Sterling Jr. in the AMC drama series ''Mad Men'' (2007–15), for which he was nominated four times for the Primetime Emmy Award fo ...
,
Nick Chinlund
Zareh Nicholas Chinlund (born November 18, 1961) is an American actor.
Early life and education
Chinlund was born in New York City. He attended the Friends Seminary in Lower Manhattan, later moving to Albany, New York in order to participate in ...
, and
Christopher Meloni
Christopher Peter Meloni (; born April 2, 1961) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC legal drama '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' for its first 12 seasons and its spin-off ' ...
. Hargitay and Meloni had auditioned in the final round together and, after the actors left, there was a moment of dead silence, after which Wolf blurted out, "Oh well. There's no doubt who we should choose—Hargitay and Meloni." Wolf believed the duo had the perfect chemistry together from the first time he saw them together, and they ended up being his first choice.
Garth Ancier
Garth Ancier (born September 3, 1957, in Perth Amboy, New Jersey) is an American television producer and media executive.
Early life
Ancier graduated from the Lawrenceville School in 1975 and Princeton University in 1979.
He began his broadca ...
, then head of NBC Entertainment, agreed, and the rest of the panel assembled began voicing their assent.
[Green and Dawn (2009), p. 11]
The first actor to be cast for the show was
Dann Florek
Ezekial Dann Florek (born May 1, 1950) is an American actor and film director. He is best known for his role as New York City Police Captain Donald Cragen on NBC's '' Law & Order'' and its spinoff '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', and Dav ...
. Florek had originated the character of Captain
Don Cragen
Donald 'Don' Cragen is a fictional character played by Dann Florek in the American police procedural television series ''Law & Order'' and its spinoff, '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', on NBC. Cragen is a homicide captain with the New York ...
in the 1990 pilot for ''Law & Order'', and played the character for the show's first three seasons until he was fired on the orders of network executives, who wanted to add female characters to the all-male primary cast, but he maintained a friendly relationship with Wolf, and went on to direct three episodes of the original series as well as to occasionally guest star on the show. Shortly after Florek reprised his role for ''
Exiled: A Law & Order Movie'', he received a call to be on ''Sex Crimes''.
[Green and Dawn (2009), pp. 145–146] Initially reluctant, he eventually agreed to star on the show as Cragen on the assurance that he would not be asked to audition for the role.
[Green and Dawn (2009), p. 13]
Shortly after the cancellation of ''
Homicide: Life on the Street'',
Richard Belzer
Richard Jay Belzer (born August 4, 1944) is a retired American actor, stand-up comedian, and author. He is best known for his role as BPD Detective, NYPD Detective/Sergeant, and DA Investigator John Munch, whom he has portrayed as a regular cast ...
heard that
Benjamin Bratt
Benjamin Bratt (born December 16, 1963) is an American actor and producer who has worked in film and on television. He had supporting roles in the 1990s in such box office hits as ''Demolition Man'' (1993), ''Clear and Present Danger'' (1994), ...
had left ''Law & Order''. Belzer requested his manager to call Wolf and pitch the idea for Belzer's character from ''Homicide'', Detective
John Munch
John Munch is a fictional character played by actor Richard Belzer. Munch first appeared on the American crime drama television series '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' on NBC. A regular through the entire run of the series from 1993 to 1999, Mu ...
, to become the new partner of
Jerry Orbach
Jerome Bernard Orbach (October 20, 1935 – December 28, 2004) was an American actor and singer, described at the time of his death as "one of the last'' bona fide'' leading men of the Broadway musical and global celebrity on television" and a " ...
's character, Detective
Lennie Briscoe
Leonard W. Briscoe is a fictional character on NBC's long-running police procedural and legal drama television series '' Law & Order''. He was created by Walon Green and René Balcer and portrayed by Jerry Orbach. He was featured on the show fo ...
, since they had previously teamed in three ''Homicide'' crossovers. Wolf loved the idea, but had already cast
Jesse L. Martin
Jesse Lamont Martin ('' né'' Watkins; January 18, 1969) is an American actor and singer. He originated the role of Tom Collins on Broadway in the musical ''Rent'' and performed on television as NYPD Detective Ed Green on '' Law & Order'' and ...
as Briscoe's new partner, Detective
Ed Green
Edward Green is a fictional character on the NBC crime drama '' Law & Order'', portrayed by Jesse L. Martin. He appeared in 202 episodes (198 episodes of ''Law & Order'', two episodes of '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', one episode of ' ...
. The idea was reconfigured, but to have Munch on ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' instead.
Since the character of Munch was inspired by
David Simon
David Judah Simon (born February 9, 1960) is an American author, journalist, screenwriter, and producer best known for his work on ''The Wire'' (2002–08).
He worked for ''The Baltimore Sun'' City Desk for twelve years (1982–95), wrote '' Hom ...
's depiction of Detective Sergeant Jay Landsman and developed for ''Homicide'' by
Tom Fontana
Tom Fontana (born September 12, 1951) is an American screenwriter, writer, and television producer. Fontana worked on NBC's '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' and created HBO's ''Oz.''
Early life and education
Fontana was born on the west sid ...
and
Barry Levinson
Barry Lee Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American filmmaker, comedian and actor. Levinson's best-known works are mid-budget comedy drama and drama films such as '' Diner'' (1982); ''The Natural'' (1984); ''Good Morning, Vietnam'' (1987); ' ...
, the addition of Munch to the cast required the consent of all three. The appropriate agreements were reached and, while Fontana and Levinson agreed to waive their royalty rights, contracts with Simon required that he be paid royalties for any new show in which Munch is a main character; as a result, Simon receives royalties every time Munch appears in an episode of the show.
[Green and Dawn (2009), p. 150]
Dean Winters
Dean Gerard Winters (born July 20, 1964) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Ryan O'Reily on the HBO prison drama ''Oz (TV series), Oz'' and had roles in TV series'' Rescue Me (U.S. TV series), Rescue Me'', ''30 Rock'', ''Sex and th ...
was cast as Munch's partner,
Brian Cassidy
Detective Brian Cassidy is a fictional character played by Dean Winters in the American police procedural, crime drama television series ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' on NBC. A recurring cast member during the first season, Cassidy is a ...
, at the insistence of Belzer. Belzer looked at Winters as a sort of little brother, and told Wolf, "Well, I'll do this new show of yours, ''SVU'', only if you make Dean Winters my partner."
Wolf did make Winters Belzer's partner, but he was contractually obligated to his other show at the time, the
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
drama ''
Oz''. Since the role on ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' was only initially meant to be a few episodes, Winters was forced to leave when it was time to film ''Oz'' again. Winters returned for the season 13 finale, "
Rhodium Nights
"Rhodium Nights" is the thirteenth season finale of the police procedural television series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' and the 295th overall episode. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 23, 2012. In the episode, a h ...
", reprising his role as Cassidy. He also appeared (as Cassidy) on the two-part season 14 premiere "
Lost Reputation
"Lost Reputation" is the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 14), fourteenth season premiere of the police procedural Television program, television series ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' and the 296th overall episode. It originally air ...
"/"
Above Suspicion".
[Green and Dawn (2009), p. 157] He subsequently became a recurring character into season 15. The void left by Winters's departure was filled for the remainder of the season by
Michelle Hurd
Michelle Hurd (born December 21, 1966) is an American actress best known for her work in television. She first received recognition for portraying Monique Jeffries in the police procedural series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (1999–20 ...
as Detective
Monique Jeffries
Detective Monique Jeffries is a fictional character played by Michelle Hurd in the American crime drama television series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' on NBC. A regular character during the first season, Jeffries is a tough and street-w ...
, a character who Wolf promised that, despite starting out as a minor character with one scene in the pilot, would eventually develop. Hurd left the show at the beginning of season two to join the cast of ''
Leap Years
A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) added to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical year or s ...
''.
[Green and Dawn (2009), pp. 154–156] Munch's permanent partner came in the form of
rapper
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
-turned-actor
Ice-T, who had previously worked with Wolf on ''
New York Undercover
''New York Undercover'' is an American Police procedural, police drama that aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox television network from September 8, 1994, to February 11, 1999. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and ...
'' and ''Exiled''. Ice-T originally agreed to do only four episodes of ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', but he quickly gained affection for the ensemble nature of the cast. He relocated to New York City before his four-episode contract was up and remained with the show as Munch's permanent partner, Detective
Odafin "Fin" Tutuola.
[Green and Dawn (2009), pp. 152–154]
Initially, the show focused exclusively on the police work of the detectives in the Special Victims Unit of the 16th precinct, with members of the District Attorney's office occasionally appearing as guest roles crossing over from the original ''Law & Order''. From season two onwards, the format was changed to be more faithful to the original ''Law & Order'' concept by including court cases.
Stephanie March
Stephanie Caroline March Benton (born July 23, 1974) is an American actress. She is known for starring as Alexandra Cabot in the crime drama franchise ''Law & Order'', which she played in the NBC series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (2 ...
had little television experience before being cast on ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', nor did she watch much TV. Nevertheless, March was cast as Assistant District Attorney
Alexandra Cabot
Alexandra "Alex" Cabot is a fictional character within the ''Law & Order'' universe portrayed by Stephanie March. She is a primary character in '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' and '' Conviction''.
Character overview
Cabot first appears i ...
at the beginning of season two but still believed that, due to the grim nature of the series, it would be short-lived. She stayed with the series for three seasons, however, and left when she believed she had reached the natural conclusion of the character's development. She would later reprise the character as a guest appearance in season six and as a regular character on the short-lived Wolf series, ''
Conviction
In law, a conviction is the verdict reached by a court of law finding a defendant guilty of a crime. The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal (that is, "not guilty"). In Scotland, there can also be a verdict of "not proven", which is consid ...
'', where she was promised more to do.
Diane Neal
Diane Neal (born November 17, 1976) is an American actress best known for her role as New York Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak in the television series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', which she played from 2003 to 2008, and 2011 t ...
had previously guest-starred on ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' in season three before being cast as Cabot's replacement,
Casey Novak
Casey Novak is a fictional character on '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', portrayed by Diane Neal. She is the only female Assistant District Attorney (ADA) to have appeared in five complete seasons in any ''Law & Order'' series and the thir ...
, in season five. Neal remained with the show through the end of season nine,
[Green and Dawn (2009), pp. 167–169] after which she was replaced by
Michaela McManus
Michaela McManus (born May 20, 1983) is an American actress, known for her portrayals of Lindsey Strauss on ''One Tree Hill'', A.D.A. Kim Greylek on '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', and Grace Karn on the NBC drama ''Aquarius''.
Early life ...
. March returned to the show in the tenth season (after McManus' departure from the cast) when
Neal Baer
Neal Baer (born 1955) is an American pediatrician and television writer and producer. He is best known for his work on the television shows ''Designated Survivor'', '' ER'' and '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''.
Biography
Education
Baer w ...
proposed Cabot receive a character arc to revitalize the second part of the season, which would continue through season eleven.
[Green and Dawn (2009), pp. 165–166]
Tamara Tunie
Tamara Tunie (born March 14, 1959) is an American film, stage, and television actress, director, and producer. She is best known for her roles as attorney Jessica Griffin on the CBS soap opera ''As the World Turns'' (1987–1995, 2000–2007, 2009 ...
was cast as
medical examiner
The medical examiner is an appointed official in some American jurisdictions who is trained in pathology that investigates deaths that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdictio ...
Melinda Warner in season two after working with Wolf previously on ''
New York Undercover
''New York Undercover'' is an American Police procedural, police drama that aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox television network from September 8, 1994, to February 11, 1999. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and ...
'', ''
Feds
''Feds'' is a 1988 American comedy film written and directed by Dan Goldberg, and starring Rebecca De Mornay and Mary Gross. The plot follows two women, the ex-Marine Ellie and Bryn Mawr graduate Janis, who aim to become FBI Agents and enroll ...
'', and ''Law & Order''. Warner was initially a
recurring character
A recurring character is a fictional character, usually in a prime time TV series, who frequently appears from time to time during the series' run. Recurring characters often play major roles in more than one episode, sometimes being the main foc ...
but became a regular character in season seven, and Tunie was added to the opening credits at that time.
[Green and Dawn (2009), pp. 172–173] When initially cast as Warner, Tunie was appearing as attorney Jessica Griffin on the
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
daytime soap opera ''
As the World Turns
''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other soa ...
''. From 2000 to 2007 (and again briefly in 2009), she appeared on both series simultaneously. In 2002, she also appeared on the
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
espionage-themed drama series ''
24'', in the recurring role of CTU Acting Director Alberta Green.
BD Wong
Bradley Darryl Wong (born October 24, 1960) is an American actor. Wong won a Tony Award for his performance as Song Liling in ''M. Butterfly'', becoming the only actor in Broadway history to receive the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Crit ...
was asked to film four episodes as Dr.
George Huang, a
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
(FBI)
forensic psychiatrist
Forensic psychiatry is a subspeciality of psychiatry and is related to criminology. It encompasses the interface between law and psychiatry. According to the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, it is defined as "a subspecialty of psychiatr ...
and
criminal profiler
Offender profiling, also known as criminal profiling, is an investigative strategy used by law enforcement agencies to identify likely suspects and has been used by investigators to link cases that may have been committed by the same perpetrator ...
on loan to the Special Victims Unit. After his four episodes, he was asked to stay on with the show.
[Green and Dawn (2009), pp. 175–176]
After he starred in ''
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
''Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West'' is a 1970 non-fiction book by American writer Dee Brown that covers the history of Native Americans in the American West in the late nineteenth century. The book expres ...
'' and guest-starred as Detective
Chester Lake in the eighth season, Wolf felt that
Adam Beach
Adam Beach (born November 11, 1972) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his roles as Victor Joseph in ''Smoke Signals'', Frank Fencepost in ''Dance Me Outside'', Tommy on ''Walker, Texas Ranger'', Kickin' Wing in ''Joe Dirt'', U.S. Marine C ...
would be a good addition to the cast and asked him to be a permanent member beginning with the ninth season. Although Beach felt the role was a "dream role", the character proved unpopular with fans who felt that he was designed to gradually write out either Richard Belzer or Ice-T. Feeling there were too many police characters on the show, Beach left the show after only one season.
[Green and Dawn (2009), pp. 160–162] Michaela McManus
Michaela McManus (born May 20, 1983) is an American actress, known for her portrayals of Lindsey Strauss on ''One Tree Hill'', A.D.A. Kim Greylek on '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', and Grace Karn on the NBC drama ''Aquarius''.
Early life ...
was originally felt to be too young for the role of an
Assistant District Attorney
In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...
(ADA) before being cast as ADA
Kim Greylek
Kim Greylek is a fictional character on the NBC crime drama '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', portrayed by Michaela McManus.
Character overview
Kim Greylek transfers to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in a lateral move from the U. ...
in the tenth season. McManus, months removed from a recurring role on ''
One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to:
* "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak
* ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song
** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...
'', remained with the series only half a season, however, before departing for unspecified reasons.
[Green and Dawn (2009), pp. 170–171]
Paula Patton
Paula Maxine Patton (born December 5, 1975) is an American actress and producer. Patton made her feature film debut in the 2005 comedy '' Hitch'', and has had starring roles in the films ''Déjà Vu'' (2006), '' Precious'' (2009), ''Jumping the ...
joined the cast as
ADA Mikka Von. She replaced
Stephanie March
Stephanie Caroline March Benton (born July 23, 1974) is an American actress. She is known for starring as Alexandra Cabot in the crime drama franchise ''Law & Order'', which she played in the NBC series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (2 ...
.
However, Patton dropped out after one episode to film ''
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol'', and was replaced by
Melissa Sagemiller
Melissa Sagemiller is an American television and film actress. She is known for her performances in films '' Get Over It'' (2001), '' Soul Survivors'' (2001), ''Sorority Boys'' (2002), '' The Clearing'' (2004), ''The Guardian'' (2006) and ''Mr. ...
in the recurring role of ADA
Gillian Hardwicke.
Before the end of season twelve, Mariska Hargitay asked for a lighter workload. As a way of writing her out of certain episodes, a plan to have her character promoted to a supervisory role was discussed. At the end of season twelve, Christopher Meloni departed the cast, unable to reach agreement on a new contract. Warren Leight became the new showrunner during this same year and signed on before he knew that Meloni would be leaving the cast. The second major departure to be announced in 2011 was that of BD Wong. On July 17, Wong announced on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
that, "I actually do not return for season 13, I am jumping to ''
Awake
Wakefulness is a daily recurring brain state and state of consciousness in which an individual is conscious and engages in coherent cognitive and behavioral responses to the external world.
Being awake is the opposite of being asleep, in which ...
''! It's awesome!" Wong added, "I don't know if or when I'll be back on ''SVU''! It was amazing to have such a cool job for 11 years and to be a real NY Actor." Wong reprised his role as Dr. Huang in season 13's episode "
Father Dearest".
![Law and Order SVU](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Law_and_Order_SVU.png)
In June 2011, it was announced that
Kelli Giddish
Kelli Marie Giddish (born April 13, 1980) is an American television, stage, and film actress. From 2011 to 2022, she has played NYPD Detective Amanda Rollins in the NBC crime-drama television series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''. Giddi ...
and
Danny Pino
Daniel Gonzalo Pino (born April 15, 1974) is an American actor who starred as Detective Scotty Valens on the CBS series ''Cold Case'' from 2003 to 2010, and as NYPD Detective Nick Amaro in the long-running NBC legal drama '' Law & Order: Specia ...
would join the cast as new series regulars.
[ Weeks later, it was announced that Stephanie March and Diane Neal would be reprising their roles as ADA Alexandra Cabot and ADA Casey Novak, respectively.] The launch of season 13 was marked with a retooling of the show that Warren Leight referred to as "SVU 2.0". Changes that accompanied this included Tamara Tunie's being bumped from the main cast to a guest-starring role and recurring actor Joel de la Fuente
Joel de la Fuente (born April 21, 1969) is an American actor. He first gained recognition for his role as 1st Lieutenant Paul Wang in '' Space: Above and Beyond'', and is best known for his roles as Dr. Johann Pryce in ''Hemlock Grove'', Kempeitai ...
's not appearing for the first time since 2002. Of the latter change, Warren Leight said, "those scenes hich featured Fuentecan be dry" and hired Gilbert Gottfried
Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried (February 28, 1955 – April 12, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian and actor, known for his exaggerated shrill voice, strong New York accent, and his edgy, often controversial, sense of humor. His numerous ro ...
as a more comedic replacement.
In season 14, Raúl Esparza
Raúl Eduardo Esparza (born October 24, 1970) is an American stage, screen, and voice actor. Considered one of Broadway's leading men since the 2000s, he is best known for his Tony Award-nominated performance as Bobby in the 2006 Broadway reviva ...
joined the cast in a recurring capacity as ADA Rafael Barba
Rafael Barba is a fictional character portrayed by Raúl Esparza, who joined the cast of the long-running NBC crime drama series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' on a recurring basis during the 14th season episode " Twenty-Five Acts". The ...
and prior to the season 15 premiere, Esparza was promoted to a series regular. Also in season 15, Belzer departed the cast in the fifth episode, "Wonderland Story", in which Sgt. Munch retired from the NYPD and took a job in the DA's office as an investigator. Later in the season, Captain Cragen announced his departure from the NYPD, which made newly promoted Sgt. Benson the temporary squad commander. In leaving the cast, Florek ended a 400-episode run as Captain Cragen. In season 16, Peter Scanavino
Peter Muller Scanavino (born February 29, 1980) is an American actor. He currently stars as ADA Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr. in the long-running NBC Police procedural, crime/legal drama series ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''.
Career
Since 2 ...
joined the series, first in a recurring role for episodes 1–3 and then was promoted to the main cast in episode 5, with Kelli Giddish, Danny Pino, Ice-T and Raúl Esparza. On May 20, 2015, it was revealed that Danny Pino would be leaving the cast after the season 16 finale "Surrendering Noah".
In August 2017, it was announced that Philip Winchester
Philip Charles Winchester (born March 24, 1981) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in '' The Patriot'', ''The Hi-Line'', '' LD 50 Lethal Dose'', '' Thunderbirds'', ''CSI: Miami'', ''King Lear'', '' Strike Back'', '' Flyboys'', ''In M ...
would recur in season 19 as ADA Peter Stone Peter Stone may refer to:
*Pete Stone, Australian footballer in the 1956 Summer Olympics
* Peter G. Stone (born 1957), British archaeologist
*Peter Stone (cricketer) (born 1938), New Zealand cricketer
*Peter Stone (professor) (born 1971), professo ...
, his character from ''Chicago P.D.
The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is the municipal law enforcement agency of the U.S. city of Chicago, Illinois, under the jurisdiction of the City Council. It is the second-largest municipal police department in the United States, behind th ...
'' and ''Chicago Justice
''Chicago Justice'' is an American legal drama television series that aired on NBC from March 1 to May 14, 2017. The series was created by Dick Wolf and is the fourth installment of Wolf's ''Chicago'' franchise. A backdoor pilot aired on May 11, ...
'', who is the son of Benjamin Stone, the first ADA on the original ''Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...
'' series. It was later also announced that Brooke Shields
Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress and model. She was initially a child model and gained critical acclaim at age 12 for her leading role in Louis Malle's film ''Pretty Baby'' (1978). She continued to model into ...
was enlisted to assume a major recurring role (Sheila Porter, maternal grandmother of Noah Porter-Benson, Olivia's adopted son) starting in season 19 of the long-running dramatic series. On February 7, 2018, Raúl Esparza left the series after six seasons. His role was taken over by Winchester. Upon being renewed for its twenty-first season, it was announced that Winchester would be departing the series after the twentieth season.
In March 2019, it was announced that the show would come back for season 21, making it the longest-running primetime U.S. live-action series in the history of television. On March 29, 2019, it was revealed that Winchester would not return for season 21. He tweeted the same day about his departure from the show. On May 16, 2019, the season finale aired and Winchester took to Twitter to thank the cast and crew for the send-off. After recurring for several episodes in season 21 as Vice Officer Katriona Tamin, Jamie Gray Hyder
Jamie Gray Hyder (born April 27, 1985) is an American actress and model. She performed voice and motion capture work for the role of Lieutenant Nora Salter in '' Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare'' and voice acted for the operator Roze in '' Call of ...
joined the cast as a regular, starting in episode 8. On October 6, 2020, Demore Barnes
Demore Barnes (born February 26, 1976) is a Canadian actor. Barnes is best known for his roles as Sergeant First Class Hector Williams in the CBS television series ''The Unit'', the archangel Raphael in '' Supernatural'' and Deputy Chief Christia ...
, who had recurred throughout season 21 as new Deputy Chief Christian Garland, was upgraded to regular status for season 22.
On September 3, 2021, it was announced that Hyder and Barnes would both depart the series following the two-hour season 23 premiere. On October 13, 2021, Octavio Pisano
Octavio Pisano is an Italian Mexican, born American actor. He currently plays Joe Velasco on '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', and prior to that was in ''Coyote ''and the indie film'' Ms. Purple.'' He has also appeared in one episode of the ...
, who had guest starred since the start of the season, was promoted to regular status. On August 24, 2022, it was announced that Kelli Giddish would leave the series during the first half of season 24. On November 10, 2022, Molly Burnett
Molly Kathleen Burnett (born April 23, 1988) is an American actress, singer and producer. She is best known for portraying the role of Kelly Ann on USA's '' Queen of the South'' and the role of Melanie Jonas on the daytime soap opera, '' Days of ...
, who initially appeared in a recurring capacity for the first six episodes, was promoted to series regular beginning with the seventh episode.
Salaries
By season twelve, both Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni had become among the highest-paid lead actors on a drama, with each earning nearly $400,000 per episode, a salary that ''TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
'' said was exceeded only by ''House'''s Hugh Laurie
James Hugh Calum Laurie (; born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and musician. He first gained recognition for his work as one half of the comedy double act Fry and Laurie with Stephen Fry. The two men acted together in a ...
. During season sixteen, Hargitay was reported to be earning $450,000 per episode, or $10,350,000 per season. In season seventeen, her salary increased to $500,000 per episode.
Filming and location
Many exterior scenes of ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' are filmed on location in New York City, Wolf's hometown, throughout all five of New York City's boroughs. [Green and Dawn (2009), pp. 2–3] Fort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee is a borough at the eastern border of Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated along the Hudson River atop the Palisades.
As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 40,191. As of the 2010 U.S. census, th ...
served as the filming location for Detective Elliot Stabler
Elliot Stabler Sr. (); is a fictional character, played by Christopher Meloni and one of the lead characters on the NBC police procedural series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' and '' Law & Order: Organized Crime''.
Stabler was a lead for ...
's residence in Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
, New York.[
When searching for a place to film the interiors of the show, the producers found that there were no suitable studio spaces available in New York City. As a result, a space was chosen at NBC's Central Archives building in nearby ]North Bergen, New Jersey
North Bergen is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a total population of 63,361. The township was founded in 1843. It was much diminished in territory by a ...
, which had sat empty for some time. of stage area.[Green and Dawn (2009), p. 14] The Archives building was used for police station and courtroom scenes,[Kimpton, Roger. "Hollywood on the Palisades"; ''Palisade'' magazine; Summer 2010; Pages 12–15] with various other locations in Hudson County
Hudson County is the most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who explored the area in 1609. Part of New Jersey's Gateway Region in ...
used for other scenes, such as a scene shot at the Meadowlands Parkway in Secaucus
Secaucus ( ) is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the town's population was 16,264,[Chris Christie
Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018.
Christie, who was born in Ne ...]
suspended the tax credits for film and television production for the Fiscal Year 2011 to close budget gaps. The show moved into the studio space at Chelsea Piers
Chelsea Piers is a series of piers in Chelsea, on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located to the west of the West Side Highway ( Eleventh Avenue) and Hudson River Park and to the east of the Hudson River, they were originally a pa ...
that had been occupied by the original ''Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...
'' series until its cancellation in May 2010.
Episodes
N.B.: Episode counts for seasons 9, 21 and 22 were reduced due to the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike
From November 5, 2007, to February 12, 2008, all 12,000 film and television screenwriters of the American labor unions Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), and Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) went on strike.
The Writers Guild of America ...
(Season 9) and the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
(Seasons 21 and 22).
Release
Broadcast
''Law & Order: SVU'' airs on NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
in the United States. With the season eleven premiere on September 23, 2009, the series vacated its Tuesday 10 p.m. ET slot because NBC began a prime-time weeknight Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 2009 ...
series. The new time slot became Wednesday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET on NBC, with CTV still airing ''SVU'' on Tuesdays at 10:00 in Canada. After the 2010 Winter Olympics
)''
, nations = 82
, athletes = 2,626
, events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, opening = February 12, 2010
, closing = February 28, 2010
, opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean
, cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...
on March 3, 2010, the time slot for ''SVU'' changed again to Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET, where it stayed until the twelfth season. In the 12th season, ''SVU'' moved back to 9:00 p.m. to lead in the newest ''Law & Order'' spin-off, '' Law & Order: LA'', until it was pulled from the network in January 2011 to be retooled. ''SVU'' moved back to 10:00 p.m. on January 12, 2011, until the end of the 13th season. With season 14, ''SVU'' moved back to 9:00 p.m. after a two-hour season premiere event on September 26, 2012. Beginning with Season 20, ''SVU'' would air on Thursday nights at 10 p.m., after NBC decided to devote their entire Wednesday primetime lineup to the ''Chicago Med'', ''PD'', and ''Fire'' trilogy. It marked the first time ever that ''Law & Order: SVU'' would hold this timeslot on Thursday nights. Starting with season 22, the show moved to 9 p.m., with offshoot ''Law & Order: Organized Crime'' taking its old slot.
From season 21 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit airs on Sky Witness
Sky Witness is a British pay television tv channel, channel owned and operated by Sky Limited, Sky, a division of Comcast. The channel primarily broadcasts drama shows from the United States, aimed at the 18–45 age group. An Italian version ...
in the United Kingdom.
Streaming
All seasons, including the season that is currently on the air, are available to stream on Hulu
Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
(with a subscription). The latest 5 episodes can be watched for free on NBC.com and the NBC app. Outside of SVOD and NBC platforms, most episodes (outside of seasons 2–4 in the United States for unknown reasons) can be found on electronic sell-through Electronic sell-through (EST) is a method of media distribution whereby consumers pay a one-time fee to download a media file for storage on a hard drive.Raugust, Karen. "Turning Digital into Dollars." Book Reviews, Bestselling Books & Publishing Bu ...
platforms such as iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
and Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...
. The series is available for streaming on Peacock
Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...
along with '' Chicago Fire'', ''Chicago P.D.
The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is the municipal law enforcement agency of the U.S. city of Chicago, Illinois, under the jurisdiction of the City Council. It is the second-largest municipal police department in the United States, behind th ...
'', ''Chicago Med
''Chicago Med'' is an American medical drama television series created by Dick Wolf and Matt Olmstead, and is the third installment of Wolf Entertainment's ''Chicago'' franchise. The series premiered on NBC on November 17, 2015. ''Chicago Med'' ...
'', ''Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...
'' and ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent
''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' is an American police procedural Drama (film and television), drama television series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and Executive producer#Motion pictures and television, p ...
''. The first thirteen seasons are available for streaming in Australia on Amazon Prime Video. In Brazil, seasons 11 to 13 are available on Amazon Prime Video, and all 22 seasons are available on Globoplay, although seasons 15 to 22 require a subscription expansion or cable access to UniversalTV
Syndication
As of September 2017, the series is rerun on fellow NBCUniversal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate corporation owned by Comcast and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States.
NBCUniversal is primari ...
network USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, as well as local stations Ion Television
Ion Television is an American broadcast television network owned by the Katz Broadcasting subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. The network first began broadcasting on August 31, 1998, as Pax TV, focusing primarily on family-oriented enter ...
and MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV (unofficially abbreviated MyTV, MyNet, MNT or MNTV, and sometimes referred to as My Network) is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its ...
. The series also briefly ran on Syfy
Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
in 2006. In 2008, Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
obtained rights to air ''Law & Order: SVU'' on Fox-owned TV stations, and began doing so in the fall of 2009.
Beginning in 2022, the show aired on more off-network syndicated rerun networks such as Sundance
A Sun Dance is a Native American ceremony.
Sun dance or Sundance may also refer to:
Places
;Canada
*Sundance, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood
*Sundance, Manitoba, a ghost town
;United States
* Sundance, New Mexico, a census-designated place ...
, WE tv
We TV (stylized as WE tv) is an American pay television channel. Owned by AMC Networks since its September 1997 launch, it is oriented mainly towards lifestyle and entertainment programming.
As of February 2015, approximately 85.2 million Ameri ...
, and Lifetime
Lifetime may refer to:
* Life expectancy, the length of time a person is expected to remain alive
Arts, entertainment, and media
Music
* Lifetime (band), a rock band from New Jersey
* ''Life Time'' (Rollins Band album), by Rollins Band
* ...
.
Reception
Ratings
In 2016, a ''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' study of the 50 TV shows with the most Facebook like
The like button on the social networking website Facebook was first enabled on February 9, 2009. The like button enables users to easily interact with status updates, comments, photos and videos, links shared by friends, and advertisements. Onc ...
s found that ''SVU''s popularity was "atypical: generally slightly more popular in rural areas and the South, but largely restricted to the eastern half of the country. It is most popular in Albany, N.Y.
Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York Cit ...
; least in Colorado and Utah".
Awards and honors
''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' has received many awards and award nominations. Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Magdolna Hargitay (; born January 23, 1964) is an American actress, director and philanthropist. The daughter of bodybuilder and actor Mickey Hargitay and actress Jayne Mansfield, her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, a People's ...
has twice been nominated for a Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
and won once in 2005.
The show has been nominated numerous times for the Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
. Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Magdolna Hargitay (; born January 23, 1964) is an American actress, director and philanthropist. The daughter of bodybuilder and actor Mickey Hargitay and actress Jayne Mansfield, her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, a People's ...
has been nominated for the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category 8 years in a row beginning in 2004 and won the Emmy in 2006. Christopher Meloni
Christopher Peter Meloni (; born April 2, 1961) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC legal drama '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' for its first 12 seasons and its spin-off ' ...
was nominated for the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series category in 2006. Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...
was nominated in the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2008. The series was nominated in the category Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for Jane Alexander
Jane Alexander (née Quigley; born October 28, 1939) is an American actress and author. She is the recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and nominations for four Academy Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. From 1993 to 1997 ...
and Tracy Pollan
Tracy Jo Pollan (born June 22, 1960), is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Ellen Reed on the sitcom ''Family Ties'' (1985–1987).
Early life
Pollan was born on Long Island, New York, the daughter of Corinne Elaine "Corky ...
in 2000, Martha Plimpton
Martha Plimpton (born November 16, 1970) is an American actress. Her feature-film debut was in '' Rollover'' (1981); she subsequently rose to prominence in the Richard Donner film ''The Goonies'' (1985). She has also appeared in '' The Mosquito ...
in 2002, Barbara Barrie
Barbara Barrie (born Barbara Ann Berman; May 23, 1931) is an American actress and author.
Her film breakthrough came in 1964 with her performance as Julie in the landmark film ''One Potato, Two Potato'', for which she won the Best Actress Awar ...
in 2003, Mare Winningham
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four y ...
and Marlee Matlin
Marlee Beth Matlin (born August 24, 1965) is an American actress, author, and activist. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for a ...
in 2004, Amanda Plummer
Amanda Michael Plummer (born March 23, 1957) is an American actress. She is known for her work on stage and for her roles in such films as '' Joe Versus the Volcano'' (1990), ''The Fisher King'' (1991), ''Pulp Fiction'' (1994), and '' The Hunge ...
and Angela Lansbury
Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American film, stage, and television actress. Her career spanned eight decades, much of it in the United States, and her work received a great deal ...
in 2005, Marcia Gay Harden
Marcia Gay Harden (born August 14, 1959) is an American actress. She is the recipient of accolades including an Academy Award and a Tony Award, in addition to nominations for a Critics' Choice Movie Award and three Primetime Emmy Awards.
Born ...
and Leslie Caron
Leslie Claire Margaret Caron (; born 1 July 1931) is a French-American actress and dancer. She is the recipient of a Golden Globe Award, two BAFTA Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards. She is one ...
in 2007, Cynthia Nixon
Cynthia Ellen Nixon (born April 9, 1966) is an American actress, activist, and theater director. For her portrayal of Miranda Hobbes in the HBO series ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), she won the 2004 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supp ...
in 2008, Ellen Burstyn
Ellen Burstyn (born Edna Rae Gillooly; December 7, 1932) is an American actress. Known for her portrayals of complicated women in dramas, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and two Primetime Em ...
, Brenda Blethyn
Brenda Blethyn (''née'' Bottle; 20 February 1946) is an English actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, and two Academy Award nominations.
Blethyn ...
, and Carol Burnett
Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and writer. Her groundbreaking comedy variety show ''The Carol Burnett Show'', which originally aired on CBS was one of the first of its kind to be hosted ...
in 2009, and Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret Olsson (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish–American actress, singer, and dancer. As an actress and singer, she is credited as Ann-Margret.
She is known for her roles in ''Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), ''B ...
in 2010. The series won the award for Plummer in 2005, Caron in 2007, Nixon in 2008, Burstyn in 2009, and Margret in 2010.
Critical reception
''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' has been well received among critics. The show holds an average score of 88% on ''Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
''
In 2014, Joshua Alston of ''The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' described it as "most improved, and that uptick in quality is all the more admirable. Ilana Kaplan of ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' wrote that the series the longest-running drama in primetime history and Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson is a person of repose of real life victims and survivors. Hargitay quoted: "It became very apparent to me early how much, culturally, we needed this character who relentlessly fights and advocates for women and for survivors, and who does it with compassion," she said through tears. "Somebody who is unequivocally committed to righting wrongs, who believes survivors, who's aware of the healing in it."
Criticism
One researcher has condemned the show for casually portraying and dismissing civil right violations, and for creating moral panic over who is accused of crime. In season five, the show also over-portrays Black perpetrators and offenders higher than real crime statistics: "Victims of color, particularly if they were associated with the lower or working class were more likely to be depicted as contributing to their offense...Furthermore, minority victims were more likely than their white counterparts to be shown only in a photograph and to remain nameless throughout the program. African American females were almost completely missing as rape victims on “SVU”, despite the fact that they are the group most at risk for sexual assault."
Some critics view the show as copaganda
Copaganda, a portmanteau of ''cop'' and ''propaganda'', is a phenomenon described by critics of law enforcement in which news media and other social institutions promote celebratory portrayals of police officers with the intent of swaying public ...
. It "serve to legitimate and normalize civil rights violations and increase viewers confidence in the police because they usually protect citizens by apprehending offenders efficiently."
Russian adaptation
In 2007, the Russian production company Studio 2B purchased the rights to create an adaptation of ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' for Russian television. Titled ''Law & Order: Division of Field Investigation'',, the series stars Alisa Bogart and Vica Fiorelia. It follows a unit of investigators in Moscow whose job is to investigate crimes of a sexual nature. The series aired on NTV NTV may refer to:
Television
* NTV (Bangladesh), a Bengali-language satellite television channel in Bangladesh
* NTV (India), Telugu regional channel
* NTV (Kenya)
* NTV (Mongolia), a television channel based in Mongolia
* NTV (Newport Television) ...
until 2010 and was produced by Pavel Korchagin, Felix Kleiman and Edward Verzbovski and directed by Dmitry Brusnikin. The screenplays were written by Sergei Kuznvetsov, Elena Karavaeshnikova, and Maya Shapovalova.
Spin-off
On March 31, 2020, it was announced that NBC had ordered an untitled spin-off series to launch in the 2020–21 television season, with Christopher Meloni
Christopher Peter Meloni (; born April 2, 1961) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC legal drama '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' for its first 12 seasons and its spin-off ' ...
reprising his role as Elliot Stabler
Elliot Stabler Sr. (); is a fictional character, played by Christopher Meloni and one of the lead characters on the NBC police procedural series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' and '' Law & Order: Organized Crime''.
Stabler was a lead for ...
. Meloni left ''SVU'' in 2011. The series order consists of 13 episodes. On June 2, 2020, it was announced that the series would be called ''Law & Order: Organized Crime'' and writer Craig Gore had been fired. When NBC announced its fall schedule on June 16, ''Organized Crime'' was the only new show on the schedule, slotted for Thursdays at 10/9c. However, the series was later delayed to 2021. On October 2, 2020, it was announced that Matt Olmstead
Matt Olmstead is an American writer and producer for television shows.
Biography
Early life
Olmstead graduated from California State University, Chico in 1988. He is an alumnus of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts. He went to Hollywood i ...
would be stepping down as showrunner and a replacement was not announced at the time. On December 9, 2020, it was announced that Ilene Chaiken
Ilene Chaiken (born June 30, 1957) is an American television producer, director, writer, and founder of Little Chicken Productions. Chaiken is best known as being a co-creator, writer and executive producer on the television series ''The L Word' ...
has joined as showrunner after her overall deal with Universal Television
Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Universal Studio Group, a division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It serves as the network television production arm of NBC; a predeces ...
. Dylan McDermott
Dylan McDermott (born Mark Anthony McDermott; October 26, 1961) is an American actor. He is known for his role as lawyer and law firm head Bobby Donnell on the legal drama series ''The Practice'', which earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best ...
was announced on January 27, 2021, as joining the cast in an unspecified role. On February 2, 2021, Tamara Taylor
Tamara Taylor (born September 27, 1970) is a Canadian actress. She appeared in the role of Dr. Camille Saroyan, head of the Forensic Division, in the forensic crime drama ''Bones (TV series), Bones''. She also appeared in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ...
was cast in an undisclosed role. On February 4, 2021, it was announced that the series would premiere on April 1, 2021, in a two-hour crossover event.
Explanatory notes
References
Citations
General and cited references
*
External links
* on Wolf Entertainment
Wolf Entertainment is an American television production company founded in 1988 by producer Dick Wolf, known for its television franchises ''Law & Order'', '' Chicago'', and '' FBI''.
In February 2020, Wolf Entertainment signed one of the la ...
* on NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
*
*
''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''
on Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''
on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
*
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
on MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV (unofficially abbreviated MyTV, MyNet, MNT or MNTV, and sometimes referred to as My Network) is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Law and Order: Special Victims Unit
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